Blind Eyes Wide Open
by Rixas
Summary: Miracles happen, but for Toph, this is a miracle she didn't want.
1. Chapter One

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own A:TLA. Never will.

* * *

"Please, Toph? Can I at least try?" Katara begged the blind girl known as Toph.

"Katara, no! It won't work!" Toph shoved away Katara.

Katara pouted slightly and walked away from Toph.

Toph bitterly sat on the ground. She didn't want Katara to do it.

"Toph, it might work!" Aang was on Katara's defense.

"What if it doesn't?" Sokka stood up for Toph, although Toph did not need it.

Katara looked a little sad and hurt.

Toph crossed her arms, regained a strong posture and even though she was blind, se looked as if she was staring down at Katara.

"Sorry, Toph. You were right. I should back off," Katara said, a little coyness in her voice.

"You should. Plus, being blind has given me great advantages. Like a Master Earthbender," Toph smirked.

The four were silent as the night started to set in.

"Well, I'm going to bed," yawned Sokka and getting snuggled up in his sleeping bag.

"Me too," Aang replied. Katara agreed and Toph even felt a hint of fatigue as the four laid down to rest. Toph curled up on the ground and with Sokka's incessant snoring, closed her eyes.

* * *

The moon was full, beaming white light onto the ground. And revealing a character lurking in the night.

Katara leaned in over Toph, careful she didn't make a sound. Even asleep, Toph could pick up on sounds and vibrations.

Her hand was shaking, and she gulped. Her outstretched hand was about a finger away from Toph's eyes. Toph had told her no, but Katara wanted to see if she was capable of a miracle.

_I want you to see, Toph. Break you from your dark prison that is blindness. I know you'll hate me for trying to change you, but…here I go._

Katara gingerly laid her hands on Toph's eyelids, one hand on each eye. She started to see her hands beginning to glow a translucent white.

Toph stirred. Katara froze completely still, forgetting her hands still on her eyelids. Unfortunately, now they were onToph's eyes.

"Huh, Katara? Katara!-," Toph was cut short.

Toph felt a burning in her eyes, and for the first time in a long time, she screamed. Screams of anguish, pain and burning.

* * *

Like it so far? Let me know :)


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Disclaimer: Sorry, I don't own A: TLA. Sadly.

* * *

Toph covered her eyes, worried, tired, confused and lost.

Katara clenched her teeth in fear, an angry Toph was not good.

Her scream immediately woke Sokka up, along with Aang.

"What happened?" Sokka interrogated the scene.

Toph was on her knees, covering her eyes. She had never felt so…weak. This pained her and her pride.

"Toph, what's wrong?" Aang asked, concerned for his friend.

Sokka quickly looked straight at Katara, with an angry look at his sister.

"Katara?" he raised his voice a little.

Katara exhaled sharply and replied,

"I just wanted to see if I could cure her blindness."

Aang looked shocked and Sokka shook his head angrily.

"Did you not hear Toph say no? She said no, and now look at her!" Sokka was infuriated, pointing at the once mighty Earthbender now hurt.

"Toph, I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!" Katara nearly begged for forgiveness.

Toph made no sounds, no words came out of her mouth. She slowly slid down her hands and the three could see her eyes.

"Toph…" Aang gaped.

"No way," Sokka said in disbelief, shaking his head.

Toph's eyes were not the pale green film that they had become accustomed to. Her eyes were green, but not a bright green. Compared to her old eyes, they were much "brighter" than before.

Katara was astonished.

Toph looked up at Aang and said nonchalantaly as if nothing happened and remarked,

"You're bald?"

Aang nodded.

Toph blinked rapidly. This was too overwhelming. Twelve years of being blind and now she could see colors.

She hated it.

"Toph, are you okay?" Katara already knew the answer.

Toph snarled.

"Oh yeah, I'm perfectly fine! Everything is dandy and all right! No big deal!"

Katara felt automatic guilt the size of Appa- and the weight.

Toph felt disoriented. All the faces…colors, trees and her own clothes…

"Augh!" she clenched her fists hard, fingernails leaving marks in her skin.

Sokka, Aang and Katara backed off a little. Last thing they wanted was to set Toph off anymore. Toph looked around, seeing things.

She was speechless. Not from joy however.

"…Toph?" Aang tried to break the uncomfortable silence between Toph and them.

"Yes, Aang?" she said in a normal voice.

"Umm…are you…?" Aang approached the same question that Katara asked.

"…" Toph was looking the other way, her back facing Sokka, Katara and Aang.

Aang stopped the futile conversation right there and tried to think of a way to distract Toph from her newfound sight.

"Katara?" Sokka asked.

"Yes?" Katara replied.

"Why'd you go and do that?" he just had to bring that up again.

Katara shot him a dirty look and turned back her attention to Toph.

That was the problem.

She wasn't there.

* * *

So you found out what Katara did. Wait a sec, you should've found out in chapter one. -slaps head- Man, I'm dumb. 


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. Never will.

* * *

Toph was sitting on a rock. With her eyes, she could see the desert far, far away. She could barely see it but it was there.

Back there, in the desert, she was blind.

Before the desert, she was blind.

Back home, in Gaoling, she was perfectly blind.

But as of now? Still seeing.

Se had no thoughts to think of, as she was mad. Most people would consider what Toph had been given as a miracle, but Toph didn't want it. At all.

Her shoulders slumped and she rested her arm on her leg as she looked around.

She earthbended a rock, and threw it all the way down into the ground, her anger with the rock. However, her power…

"Huh? I could have done better than that. Let me try again," she muttered.

She closed her eyes, greeting the darkness she was familiar with. She listened to the sounds…

She couldn't see.

She could "see" with sight but not actually "see". She couldn't "see" the ants scurrying underneath her, or "see" the rock she had sat on. Complete darkness.

Being blind might have rendered her eyesight gone but being blind made her "see" other things that when she closed her eyelids, she could still "see".

She gritted her teeth in frustration. Her? The once mighty Blind Bandit of Earth Rumble Six and Earthbending teacher of Aang? Weak and pathetic…so feeble.

And all because of Katara.

She never liked her from the beginning, being all soft and not demanding. Not…Toph-like. Her opposite. A Sugar Queen. Toph agreed to herself that the name fit Katara perfectly.

Toph bit her lip in aggravation, hating Katara for what she did to her.

Blindness, she had decided, was far much better than seeing.

Even though she knew her way back to Aang and the others, feeling exhausted and tempest tossed from the events of today, she collapsed to the ground and was ridden from the world and her newfound sight.

For a while, at least, it would be dark and suitable to Toph's liking.

* * *

Light was seeping in through the eyelidss of the Earthbender.

Toph squirmed, blinking her eyes. For a second, she was frightened of the sight, in a instant, she wondered why she was not blind. Then it sunk in her stomach like a brick. She could still see. The previous day's events came rushing in her head, Katara's hands over Toph's eyes…screams…anguish.

She froze. Something was wrong. She couldn't move her hands. Rope was dug into her skin.

"So you finally woke up," spoke an unfamiliar voice.

Toph looked up at her captor.

Her black hair was in a bun, some strands in her face but neatly placed.

Toph looked around. She smelled smoke.

"You shouldn't tie up a blind girl," Toph blurted without thinking of the fact she was no longer blind. She couldn't use that excuse. Toph silently cursed in her mind.

"Blind? I see no film over your eyes," she spoke in a voice that sounded sincere but could poke Toph's skin with words sharpened like daggers.

"Well…I was blind."

_Not again! I blame sight for making me stupid._

The girl inspected Toph, walking around her captive.

"Was?" this slightly piqued her interest.

Toph nodded. This girl looked dangerous and she wasn't that bold to take her on. The old blind Toph could…but not this Toph.

"You look so sad. Is there…something wrong?" she said that sounded like she was worried but Toph refused to answered.

She raised a brow.

"Oh. Refusing to speak. I can see why. Being used as bait can really cause tempers to flare. You can ask my older brother…"

Toph snarled.

"Bait? You're going so low as to use bait? For what?" she demanded to know, wanting to belittle her captor.

She only smirked.

"I like your thinking. Trying to belittle me, hm? Too bad you weren't born in the Fire Nation. I could have used you."

Toph looked away. It was her fault she even got in this mess. But then again, Katara was to blame for her loss of her blindness.

_It's all Katara's fault!_

_

* * *

_

Not that I hate Katara, but it IS her fault. You know the old adage: Curiosity killed the cat. Or unblinded the blind girl or...oh nevermind!


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar. Ever.

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"Hey! I know who you are! You're that crazy girl that was in that destroyed village!" Toph finally recognized his voice. Her golden eyes looked down at her.

"Crazy girl? I prefer to be called Fire Princess Azula," Azula introduced herself to the captive.

"Aaaazula!" spoke a high pitched, cheery voice.

"Yes Ty Lee?" Azula responded, while Toph sniggered.

Ty Lee came into Toph's view. She was wearing all pink, and her hair was in a ponytail...braid thing.

_What a girly girl_, Toph thought.

Ty Lee looked at Toph with a questionable look on her face.

"Where'd she come from?" she asked Azula.

"She captured me!" Toph said before Azula had a chance to explain.

Ty Lee looked at Azula for an explanation.

"I found her sleeping by herself and thought we could use her…to ensure the capture of the Avatar," Azula lied.

Ty Lee was gullible enough to believe her lie.

"Great. Another passenger," spoke an unemotional, bored voice. Toph looked to where it was and Mai was standing there.

"You have henchwomen?" Toph spat out.

Azula shook her head.

'They are my friends. We're after your comrade, the Avatar. Don't be coy with me, I know you travel with him.

Toph bit her lip, knowing Azula thought ahead of her.

"Well, what are we going to do now?" Mai asked, eying the girl.

"I'm Ty Lee, this is Mai and I am pretty sure you met Azula. What's your name?" Ty Lee asked, happily.

"Toph…?" she smiled uneasily. How can one be so cheerful?

_She should be called Air Head,_ Toph thought.

Mai shook her head.

"Ty Lee, she's not a houseguest. And we're in a tank. Not a homely place," she said, reprimanding Ty Lee a little.

Ty Lee sighed.

"Where are we?" Toph demanded. She was also feeling a little bit left out.

Azula smirked.

"Ba Sing Se. Don't worry Toph, we'll be meeting up with your friends. Plus, we'll have…plenty of fun, don't you think, hm?" Azula smirked again, a plan brewing in her mind as she spoke.

Toph looked to the side.

"Fun? I would like to leave! I could take all you down in less than a minute!" she bluffed slightly.

"Oh really. I'd love to see that happen," Mai muttered.

Toph heard her comment and squinted her eyes angrily at Mai.

Azula raised her hand, as if stopping the bitterness between Toph and Mai.

"Ty Lee, Mai and I are going to get breakfast. Care to join us, Toph?" Azula said with almost sincerity. Almost.

"No! Why would I eat with you guys?" Toph said, alarmed.

Azula closed her eyes and shrugged.

"Whatever suits to your liking…" she replied.

Ty Lee, Mai and Azula left Toph in the compartment as the three girls left the captive girl alone as they headed off for breakfast. Little did Azula and the other girls know, they had left the door open slightly. The ground in view. Rocks.

Toph smiled. She was going to escape.

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Stupid break bars aren't working! Ooooh...this will get interesting. Like it so far? Let me know :)


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar.

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Toph looked around, making sure the three girls were gone. She squirmed and wriggled her hands until one hand was free. The rope had left a deep mark in her skin, but she needed one hand. She scooted around until her hand faced the ground outside, Toph's back facing outside.

She turned her head over her shoulder to see which rocks could set her free. Small…small…too big….too sharp…

"Yes!" She exclaimed, a rock worthy of her pickiness.

Although she could not earthbend as well as she could before, she gave it her best shot and brought the rock inside the room and placed it on the ground.

"That took a lot…why can't I do it better? I might as well be at Aang's level!" she murmured.

She then took the rock, with her one free hand, and sliced the rope that was binding her hands together. Major rope burn was caused, but a small price for her tiny bit of freedom.

_I could've beaten that Azula up, princess or not. Why did I hold back? _

Toph's mind wandered on, as if her mind and body were separate and no longer coexisting. Toph was not in charge of what she thought, her mind was. Her brain was no longer in control of her body; Toph's body moved on its own.

_It's this sight…this so called "blessing" my parents would have called. I can see now, and seeing Azula must've stopped my ability to fight. Why? I might've been "healed" by Katara, but she only brought a curse unto me._

_Sight sees no evil. With sight, I hear no evil. With being blind, I could hear and "see" evil without a second thought. Blindness helped me decide evil people by their voice, their footsteps, and their tone as they speak. Sight does nothing for me. Sight leads me astray, just because they have a smile on their face doesn't mean they have hidden motives that can hurt others. I hate sight. I wish I could gouge my eyes out, to embrace the darkness I have come to know. But even I can't mutilate myself like that. Plus, Sugar Queen would go all "motherly" on me. _

As Toph's mind thought on, her body was doing something else: setting Toph free.

Toph now had both hands free, but was still wrapped in rope. She was almost there, squirming herself out of rope.

"I'm stuffed!" spoke the cheery voice that stopped Toph in her quest for freedom.

"Those were…okay. I've had better," spoke the unemotional teen.

"Let's go check on my guest, shall we?" spoke the icily cold tone of voice that belonged to the Fire Nation Princess.

Toph froze. What could she do?

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Sorry it's short. But I wanted this chapter to be mostly Toph centric.


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